"Lots of twins have a special connection - being able to finish each
other's sentences; sensing what the other is thinking; perhaps even
knowing when the other is in trouble or in pain - but for 12-year-old
twins, Matt and Emily Calder, the connection is beyond special.

Together, the twins have extraordinary powers. They are able to bring
art to life, or enter paintings at will. Their abilities are sought by
villains trying to access the terrors of Hollow Earth - a place where
all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined lie trapped for
eternity. The twins flee with their mother to the security of an island,
off the west coast of Scotland, where their grandfather has certain
protective powers of his own. But too much is at stake, and the twins
aren't safe there either.

The villains will stop at nothing to find
Hollow Earth and harness the powers within..."

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

From drugs to help you avoid eating meat to genetically engineered
cat-like eyes to reduce the need for lighting, a wild interview about
changes humans could make to themselves to battle climate change.

The threat of global climate change has prompted us to redesign
many of our technologies to be more energy-efficient. From lightweight
hybrid cars to long-lasting LED's, engineers have made well-known
products smaller and less wasteful. But tinkering with our tools will
only get us so far, because however smart our technologies become, the
human body has its own ecological footprint, and there are more of them
than ever before. So, some scholars are asking, what if we could
engineer human beings to be more energy efficient? A new paper to be published in Ethics, Policy & Environment proposes a series of biomedical modifications that could help humans, themselves, consume less.

Some
of the proposed modifications are simple and noninvasive. For instance,
many people wish to give up meat for ecological reasons, but lack the
willpower to do so on their own. The paper suggests that such
individuals could take a pill that would trigger mild nausea upon the
ingestion of meat, which would then lead to a lasting aversion to
meat-eating. Other techniques are bound to be more controversial. For
instance, the paper suggests that parents could make use of genetic
engineering or hormone therapy in order to birth smaller, less
resource-intensive children.

The lead author
of the paper, S. Matthew Liao, is a professor of philosophy and
bioethics at New York University. Liao is keen to point out that the
paper is not meant to advocate for any particular human modifications,
or even human engineering generally; rather, it is only meant to
introduce human engineering as one possible, partial solution to climate
change. He also emphasized the voluntary nature of the proposed
modifications. Neither Liao or his co-authors, Anders Sandberg and
Rebecca Roache of Oxford, approve of any coercive human engineering;
they favor modifications borne of individual choices, not technocratic
mandates. What follows is my conversation with Liao about why he thinks
human engineering could be the most ethical and effective solution to
global climate change.

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

"Say (O Muhammad (pbuh)): "I am only a human being like you. It is inspired in me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc. - see V.2:105)"

"And indeed We did send Messengers before you (O Muhammad ) to their own peoples. They came to them with clear proofs, then, We took vengeance on those who committed crimes (disbelief, setting partners in worship with Allah, sins, etc.), and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them).

...So verily, you (O Muhammad (pbuh)) cannot make the dead to hear (i.e. the disbelievers, etc.), nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs, turning away.

And you (O Muhammad (pbuh)) cannot guide the blind from their straying; you can make to hear only those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), and have submitted to Allah in Islam (as Muslims)."

Monday, 5 March 2012

When Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there's a problem: it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat - and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards. Sent by the land's owner to investigate, leopard-shifter Drake Donovan is ready for anything - except the insatiable hunger that rocks him when he meets Saria. Deep in his soul he knows that she is destined to be his mate.

Torn between protecting her brothers and finding the truth, Saria treads warily around the powerful shifter. Yet as they venture deep into the mysterious bayou on a hunt for the killer, Saria finds herself longing for Drake's touch and the sweet release of surrender...